Bruce Springsteen Lends His Image To Marriage Equality Effort

Bruce Springsteen is lending his words and image to a web-based campaign to pass same-sex marriage initiatives. “The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is — a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law,” Springsteen says on The Four 2012’s online ad. The Four 2012’s aim is to pass ballot measures in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington that are on the November ballot.

Springsteen’s comment wasn’t actually provided to The Four 2012; instead, it was taken from a brief blog post that he put on his website in 2009, where he quoted then-New Jersey Governor John Corzine: “Like many of you who live in New Jersey, I’ve been following the progress of the marriage-equality legislation currently being considered in Trenton. I’ve long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples and fully agree with Governor Corzine when he writes that, ‘The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is — a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law.’ I couldn’t agree more with that statement and urge those who support equal treatment for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard now.” That bill was defeated in the New Jersey State Senate.

According to USA Today, The Four 2012 reached out to Springsteen’s people and heard no objections.

Springsteen has long been a supporter of the gay and lesbian community: he wrote “Streets Of Philadelphia” for the 1993 film Philadelphia, which starred Tom Hanks as a gay man living with AIDS, and was seen as a turning point for the way in which gays and lesbians were portrayed in films. Both Hanks and Springsteen won Academy Awards for their involvement in the film.